A Crisp Kind of Fall
by the author of everything cool
Summary: Just one ordinary walk in the park. Until it isn't anymore. James/Lily drabble.


A Crisp Kind of Fall

September 1981

"Lily, dear, why don't we, perhaps, take a walk in the park? It's one of our seldom days off, as Sirius has taken Harry for a while." James Potter asked his wife kindly, his eyes gleaming with adventure.

His wife looked at the ceiling, as if she was trying to tell whether or not she should agree. "Alright, James. But if anything strange happens, I will lock you in the cellar. And I mean that."

"Nice little Lily, aren't you? Let's go." James hurried out the door, grabbing a parka as he went. With a huff, Lily followed, carefully zipping her jacket and placing her beanie gently on her head. "It's a beautiful evening, don't you agree?"

Lily nodded, then said, "Godric's Hollow is perfect at a time like this…even when _he's _on the loose. I suppose I should enjoy it."

When the couple neared the park, James spoke, "Harry - I mean, Lily, what's been going on? You're so quiet and you never seem to speak anymore. Is it because of him? He's never going to get us, I doubt he even knows we exist."

"And that's where you're wrong," Lily answered. "What if one of your foolish friends turn on you? Sirius might, he's a downright prankster, that one, and Lupin, he's so shady you never know what side he's on! Peter, he's too much of a weakling to manage to pull off three deaths, so he's barely even safe."

James' face turned red. "Lily, Sirius nor Remus would commit such a crime. They are true blue friends and I'm quite sure they'd never turn on me. Nor would Peter. Now stop your strange behavior and go back to being the nice little Lily I thought you were, not the evil accusing Lily."

"I can do whatever I want, James. Your friends are shady as hell and you never know if they're plotting against you."

The two walked around in silence, inhaling the bittersweet smell of coming fall. "Lily…I don't know where Harry would go if we died. We never made a pact with someone. Not Sirius, not Lupin, and definitely not Severus, nor Peter." James confessed quietly. "I need to find someone. Just in case, m'dear."

"James Potter! We won't die. Never. Not until we fight to our last breath, I know we won't. So if you continue speaking like a foul-mouthed rat, I'll treat you like one!" spat Lily angrily, then fluffed up her jacket and pulled the hood over her head.

"I need to find someone, that's it, Lily. Nothing else. I know we won't. Not yet. Not before we see our son grow up and have kids and have a good-darn life." James agreed. "I just have this feeling that we should. Just in case we're caught off-guard, ya know?"

Lily seethed, "I don't know, I personally have never been caught off-guard, but that's because I'm the only sane person in the house! You with flying Harry, knocking down china and god-knows-what, creating a huge mess that the lady in the house has to clean up. And you two keep on laughing and playing, never bothering to help your wife!"

James sighed. "I'm having fun while I can. One day Harry's going to be eleven and shipped off to Hogwarts, then he'll grow up to become some well-known businessman and forget he ever had parents."

"He won't. I know he won't."

"You don't know that. Let's just assume he doesn't, and I had followed your strict way of life. He'll remember no parents whatsoever, just cleaning…and such. Do you want that to – " James admonished.

From Lily's hood there was a racking sob like a dying animal, and she fled from James a second later. James stood, confused, and attempted to backtrack. He then sprinted to the rapidly-disappearing pinpoint that was Lily Potter.

Twenty minutes of non-stop running later, James caught up. "I – I – I'm sorry." James apologized.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Like HELL you are. How does it feel having to cook and clean and care for a baby while your husband – wife, I should say – is acting insane in the brain?"

"I've never done it before, but by the way you're acting, probably horrible." James replied. "Sorry, Lily."

Lily hugged James, then said, "I'm sorry, too. I acted a bit too…too…harsh when you told me what you thought of me and my way of living my life. I'll try to change, James."

"I will too, my dear." James leaned in and kissed his wife strongly.

THE END


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